28.3.13

Portugal had always been known for its warm climate and vast
ocean shore. Where the ocean is – there are waves and where the waves are –
there you can surf, it’s just as simple as that. Nazaré is basically a tourist
city in the west of Portugal, but the main reason for its fame is not the huge
hotels and friendly locals, it’s the exceptional shore with occasional waves up
to 30 meters high. Long story short – Nazaré is a pure heaven for surfers. One
of the surfers – Garrett McNamara from Hawaii – just broke a highest surfed
wave record with a wave at least 29 meters high. Guess where did he got an
opportunity to catch a wave this big? Yes, it’s Nazaré.

But why Nazaré has these giant waves, what causes them? The
reason is the unique underwater Nazaré canyon which is trailing about 230 km
from the ocean to the Portugal shores, reaching at least 5 km of depth at some
of its deepest points. It’s the specific shape of canyon which is responsible
for the waves – canyon is trailing to the Nazaré shore in a sharpening manner,
and the waves are highest where the canyon reaches the very edge of itself.
While the waves are rolling through the ocean, water is concentrated within the
canyon and simply explodes at the edge of it creating so much fun for all the
professional surfers.

Unsurprisingly, Nazaré attracts professional surfers from
all over the world. True enough, it’s pretty dangerous to surf waves this big,
so surfers must get the best lifeguard security possible. Because of that,
every surfer trying to surf the highest waves is being watched by lifeguard
boats, helicopters and the paramedics on the shore. By any means you shouldn’t
forget the surfing board too – it must be prepared for extreme conditions as
these on Nazaré. Regular one would simply break because of the pressure it gets
from these enormous waves. Garrett McNamara broke the record using a way
thicker, longer and narrower board.

Of course, you shouldn’t forget that Nazaré isn’t designed
only for surfers. Watching the waves high as 10 store building being surfed is
definitely a stunning experience, you don’t even need to surf them by yourself
to have good time. Understandingly, the city is perfectly fine with tourists so
if you are planning a trip to Portugal, Nazaré may be a wonderful the place to
stay.